River Rats [Hardcover]

Caroline Stevermer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1992

A paddle wheeler cruises up the Mississippi, delivering mail and hosting an occasional concert. A scene straight out of the nineteenth century? Not quite. This Mississippi is a toxic brown river. And the paddle wheeler is run by the River Rats, a troop of orphans who survived the Flash--a nuclear holocaust. What were once huge cities are now plague-ridden ruins, haunted by gangs of savage children. And the concerts the Rats play are post-apocalyptic rock and roll, a music as rough and ragged as the musicians who perform it. When the Rats rescue a stranger from the river, suddenly all the troubles of the old world threaten to end their travels forever. “This adventure is too good to miss.”--Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this futuristic fable, almost a generation has passed since the Apocalypse poisoned the Mississippi River and destroyed a united society. On board the restored paddleboat River Rat , Tomcat and his friends travel up and down the polluted waters, bartering news, mail and music for fuel and food. Orphans all, these children escaped school, slavery and other assorted evils and now enjoy a free and easy life on the river. They don't take passengers but, encountering a man hunted by a group of rednecks, find themselves changing their rules and getting into big trouble. The rednecks commandeer the ship, and the children set off in search of the most frightening treasure of their time--firearms. Calling to mind such widely disparate writers as Mark Twain, Andre Norton and Peter Dickinson, Stevermer ( The Serpent's Egg ) paints a realistic ruin of society. In the tradition of good speculative fiction she offers up an appealing landscape for adventure, yet her unwavering interest in the individuals who live there distinguishes the novel from mere space opera. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-12-- Some years after the ``Flash'' (a global disaster caused by a bomb, germ warfare, or chemical weapons) transforms the Mississippi into a polluted, ravaged wasteland lined by violent families and outcast tribes of homeless boys, six teenage orphans restore an old paddle wheel steamboat and ride up and down the river hauling freight, delivering mail, and putting on impromptu rock concerts in return for food and clothing. The River Rats, as they call themselves, break their vow never to take on passengers when they save a man named King who is fleeing from the unsavory Lester family. King tells them that the Lesters are after him because he knows where a cache of guns is hidden. Forced ashore by the family, the River Rats find that King had actually been hiding something even more valuable than guns--water and other survival gear. Narrated by Tomcat, one of the River Rats, the story moves quickly, although readers may want more detail about the origin of the disaster and the society that evolves from it. Tomcat's observations are sharp, providing a rounded view of the other characters. But the upbeat ending, although appealing to young readers' values of justice, sugarcoats the dismal future this crew faces. --Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (April 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152008950
• ISBN-13: 978-0152008956
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,317,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Definite Re-Read, June 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: River Rats (Mass Market Paperback)

When I borrowed this book from a friend's younger sister, I thought it would be an easy read to take my mind off things before I did my homework. Well, I read it.. and then I read it again. While the plot could be a little contrived at times, the characters were vivid and real, and the relationships between them left me wishing for a sequel. I bought the book for myself, and it has a permanent place on my bookshelf for those rainy lonely days when I need some cheering up.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book can not be summarized in one line., May 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: River Rats (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is set in post-apocalyptic times, after a Nuclear Holocaust called the Flash. It is about six children who are living on a paddle wheel steam boat. To make a living, they play Rock-and-Roll from before the Flash and carry mail. Absolutely No Passengers! The kids rescue a man out of the river who is being pursued by a band of men who think he has something they want. This book may sound to you like the classic "Kids on their own", adventure story, but, it's not. Even though the plot becomes a bit unrealistic at times, it is still enjoyable. The characters come alive, and not only are they believable, sometimes you can even identify with them. It is as if you're on the boat yourself. Also, you're being told the story in the first-person by one of the kids. I enjoyed his descriptions and his thoughts. I highly recommend this book, and if you read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. By the way, I've read about four (Sherlock Holmes, Watership Down, The Goats and this.) really great books in my time, and I consider this to be one of them. Yours, Dogspaw

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant, clean writing, and an unusual story, August 9, 2008

By 

Katherine Shaw (TN) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: River Rats (Paperback)

Tomcat and a handful of friends live on the steamboat River Rat, which they pilot up and down the river, taking mail from town to town in barter for food and goods. It's twenty years after the Flash, and life is hard; but the Rats know how to handle themselves. Only when they break one of their own rules and rescue a man from the poisonous river do things start to go bad.

The book is lively, fascinating, and well written. The post-apocalyptic world is fully (and realistically) invented, as are the characters.